Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Lipsi’

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Lipsi’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with salmon ray florets and prolific branching, natural season flower date August 23-30; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Lipsi’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 23-30; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant ‘Lipsi’ is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2001. The first act of asexual production of ‘Lipsi’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the intial selection in 2001 in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands, and propagated further at this location. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted week 24 in 2004. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 23-30 (week 35). The average height of the plants was 25 cm. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on color or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with salmon ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Lipsi’ is ‘Stella’ (U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 15, 421). When ‘Stella’ and ‘Lipsi’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Stella’ and ‘Lipsi’ are (1) Color ray-florets. The flowers of ‘Stella’ are more salmon colored than those of ‘Lipsi’ which have an orange hue in its soft colored florets. (2) Width ray-florets. The ray-florets of ‘Stella’ wider than those of ‘Lipsi’. (3) Natural blooming date. Under natural conditions, ‘Lipsi’ flowers earlier than ‘Stella’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Lipsi’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerance. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1 Botanical Description of chrysanthemum plant ‘LIPSI’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.5 cm, height 0.7 cm Outside Color Yellow-green 145C Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among Not present disc-florets Involucral bracts color Green 138A Bloom Type Decorative Height 1.5 cm Size Medium Fully Expanded 5.5 cm Peduncle length 9-12 cm Peduncle color Yellow-green 146C Number of blooms per branch Approx. 5-6 blooms per branch Performance on the plant 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A, 1½ mm in length Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Greyed-yellow 162C Mature Yellow-orange 23C Color of upper surface of the Greyed-orange 174D to Orange 24D ray-florets Color of the lower surface of the Greyed-orange 163D at base ray-florets blending to Greyed-orange 173D at tip Tonality from Distance A garden mum with salmon flowers Discoloration to color Greyed-orange 164D to Greyed-orange 173D Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 160-180 Cross-section Flat Longitudinal axis of majority Straight Length of corolla tube 0.3 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2.5 cm Ray-floret width 0.4 cm Ratio length/width High Shape of tip Pointed Disc florets Disc diameter 0.3-0.4 cm Distribution of disc florets Few, only visible in mature stage Shape Tubular Color Yellow 11D at base to Yellow-orange 23C at top Receptacle shape Conical raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Present in disc florets only Stamen color Yellow-green 144A Pollen Present Pollen color Yellow 7A Styles Thick Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 0.4 cm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Spherical shape Growth rate Medium Height 25 cm Width 35 cm Stem Color Greyed-brown 199C Stem Strength Strong Stem Brittleness Not brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Absent Internode length 3-4 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 18 cm Lateral branch color Yellow-green 146D Lateral branch, attachment Medium strength Branching (average number of Good with 6-8 breaks after pinching lateral branches) Natural season blooming date August 23-30 Foilage Leaf color Upper side Green 139A Lower side Green 138A Color midvein Upper side Yellow-green 148D Lower side Yellow-green 147D Size Small.; length 4.5-6 cm, width 2-3.5 cm Quantity (number per lateral 15 branch) Shape Elliptic Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Between Rounded Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Lateral Diverging Lobes Shape of Base Acute Apex Mucronulate Petiole length 1-2 cm Petiole color Yellow-green 148D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison varieties ‘Lipsi’ ‘Stella’ Color upper surface ray-florets Greyed-orange 174D to Orange 29C Orange 24D Width ray-florets 0.4 cm 0.7 cm Start blooming date Week 35 Week 38-39 (planted in week 24) 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 